"Your Associate Said What and It Got Picked-up by ESPN, the AP, and the World?" How Training + Development Can Overcome a Disaster!

The number of organizations that bring me in to help them with their communication skills usually have a "challenge" or "obstacle” that they are trying to overcome. I think of it as a deficiency that they are trying to “bulk-up” on! After all, who doesn’t want to equip their team with the best skills possible?

So what do you do when a disaster occurs? Witness the Dallas Police Department’s Officer Robert Powell. On Wednesday, March 18th he was on duty and witnessed a vehicle running a stop light. He did what any police officer would be expected to do… He flipped on the patrol car lights and pulled them over for this minor traffic violation. However, there’s more to this story because of the situation. Watch the video on ESPN here http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4017382.

So how can your Training and Development help when situations like this occur, and perhaps even more important how can you prevent them from occurring in the future? There’s a host of opportunities for you to take, both reactive (it already occurred) as well as proactive (it hasn’t occurred… yet!) Here’s my “Top 7” for you…

1. Assess each team member on desired Communication Skills
a. Presenting…
b. Speaking…
i. Crucial Conversations
ii. Sensitive Conversations
iii. Performance Conversations
c. Listening…
2. Identify the areas of “weakness” from the assessment and develop training
3. Perform Training with video feedback
4. Assess each team member post training to insure desired results are present
5. Coach Leaders/team members on communication
6. Present positive communication “episodes” or examples to the organization to remind them of the importance
7. Re-do annually!

Situations like this happen, granted it’s not every day ESPN or the AP picks them up! Most communication simply goes “under the radar” or unnoticed except for the individuals that are participating. Regardless of reactive or proactive stance, the above roadmap should allow you to set the proper tone for future desired communication.

If you’d like more information about my “Influential Communication” workshops send me a note to info@pathosleadershipgroup.com It may be the difference between showing up on ESPN with the caption “Weekend Warrior Looks To Go Pro!” or “Executive Explains What Went Wrong”…

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP
Pathos Leadership Group – Home of the Influential Edge!
www.pathosleadershipgroup.com

Is the Magic Back?

Ahhhh... March Madness! Does anything quench the Influential Leader's sole like college basketball? I spent last week traveling, so what better way to take some "down" time to watch wall-to-wall basketball. Being a Big 10 Varsity Athlete, I was especially pleased to see Michigan State University and Tom Izzo breeze through their first two games. Hard to believe that it's been 30 years since Magic Johnson lead MSU to the title in 1979. Even more hard to believe that they won the 2000 championship!

So what's the secret to their success? Anyone that knows anything about Tom Izzo knows that it all boils down to one thing. Every team in the NCAA - Division 1 athletics has got star athletes. Every college hosts their teams in what could only be called modern day coliseums. Every team has great athletic training programs. So from athletes to facilities, everything is pretty even. What's the secret then?

The Influential Leader has the secret! It's hard work. So simple, yet few actually accomplish success because there is an extreme lack of hard work. Magic used to tell tales of running up and down the court in practice until he puked. So what are you working so hard at that you actually "puke" afterwards?

If you'd like to get the "Influential Edge" and start working hard, send me an email at sp@pathosleadershipgroup.com and let's start today! You'll join the thousands who've participated in our programs that are tasting success today, even in this economy! You'll also get in on the ground-floor of our exciting 2nd Quarter of 2009 programs. What are you waiting for? Oh you already work hard don't you? There's a big difference between working hard and hard work... Drop me a line and we'll spend 10 minutes together to see where we can go together!

Sam Palazzolo, CPLP
Pathos Leadership Group
www.pathosleadershipgroup.com

Types of Business Coaching

Kris Koonar writes an excellent post on the types of Business Coaching available today! View it here... http://stepstosuccessmadesimple.com/blog/types-of-business-coaching.php

In our Executive Coaching practice here at Pathos Leadership Group, we touch all of the items mentioned. There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding what a coach will and won't do... Our answer is simple: "If you wan't to get the 'Influential Edge!' we've got to first and foremost determine what you want. From there, it's all hard work and effort!" In other words, there is no shortcut/magic pill which you can take to get to where "success" lives.

To schedule a Complimentary Coaching session send me an email (sp@pathosleadershipgroup.com) today... It will be the best 20 minutes you spend!

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP
Pathos Leadership Group

Is Executive Coaching Dead in this New Economy?

I often get asked "Is Executive Coaching dead in this New Economy?" My answer is the same that I give to my clients that seek excellence... "Only if you suck!" Executives right now need coaching more than ever, even if they got some of that TARP money in their pockets (Come to think of it, they might be exactly who needs coaching!)

If you think executive coaching is dead, read this great article from some chaps in the UK: http://www.businesszone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=196078&d=1095&h=1097&f=1096&dateformat=%25o-%25B-%25Y

Let me put the article in a different light... One of my clients asked me the other day "Sam... When will I no longer need you?" I told him "About 15 minutes after you pass-away!" Send me an email at sp@pathosleadershipgroup.com if you'd like a "Complimentary Coaching Session" with me... It will be the best 20 minutes you spend this year!

Verizon Wireless - That WasN'T Easy!

In "The Influential Leader" I wrote about how mastering technology can make you truly influential (One of the ten critical skills identified as a result of interviewing 3,000+ business leaders coast-to-coast). Well, as a result you know that I am always looking for a way to maximize my time. I met with a client recently who told me about a great opportunity to do just that... Enter the new Blackberry Storm. Now this is an upgrade from my current PDA and I have been going round-and-round with AT&T about new phones/replacement phones/etc. lately. Did you know that the best deals on cell phones can be had when you switch phone companies? I interviewed an executive that said "You're just stupid if you don't switch from AT&T to Verizon every six months!" That's pretty powerful!

Well, I did just that! I ordered two new phones to keep me and my assistant on the same page. Our Blackberry Storms arrived on Tuesday and boy were they great to look at. I said "to look at" because neither was working! Here's the saga in a nutshell from an email I sent to the Opertions Director...As you can tell, it's been anything but "easy"!!!

Well, I think after spending 43 minutes last night and 21 minutes this morning on the line with Verizon that my cell phone activation is complete! Here were the issues that I encountered:

• Both of my previous numbers were not “ported” over to Verizon.


• The Verizon Customer Service department could only help me with one of the numbers last night. He recommended contacting the "Activation Center" which I did from my other line at 9:50pm. I sat on "Activation Center" hold for 12 minutes and then dumped the call when Verizon CS came back to me with a “plan”.


• The Verizon CS “plan” is that I contact their “Port Center” first thing this morning (Another call). No big deal… it’s just my business line that’s not activated! I’m kind of excited because he says that the number doesn’t look like it’s been ported over for me… I may lose the number (No big deal again… it’s just my business line!)


• However, the Verizon CS did review my account with me, and he mentioned that I had the Blackberry Enterprise Plan (Remember the one we looked at for $49 that you’d use if you had a Blackberry Enterprise Server at work?) I had him change this back to the Blackberry email and web plan that I had selected from my online order (Not certain where the disconnect is/was with this one?) He requested that when I contact the Port Center that I verify Blackberry service on my other line as well.


• OPPORTUNITY – The Verizon CS agent reviews my entire plan/options with me. He says that he notices that I don’t have insurance for $4.99. He reminds me that the phone costs $550 and that (1) the technology is still very new and (2) he has lost/damaged/had stolen his phones in the past and this policy kept him from having to come out of pocket big time! I had insurance before with AT&T… I know it’s probably a waste of money (You could take me through the phone factory again right?)… But he does plant the seed. He can’t sell it, but he’s offering and setting it up for Verizon!


• I contact the Verizon Port Center at 7:02am CST. The representative tells me that the number was not requested originally. I get transferred to a representative with an “easy” button. This new representative punches this “easy” button and makes it happen in like 30 seconds! She says that I should be able to use the phone now. I ask if we can review my Blackberry plan and she has to transfer me to another person.


• The final person I talk to reviews my plan with me. Again, I am setup on the Blackberry Enterprise Server plan. We switch me to the other one. She also helps me get the insurance and offers the Verizon GPS for $9.95 a month (per line). I take the insurance, but decline the GPS (I can add it later!)
  
  

Here’s the real dagger for me… I hate sending my assistant off without her phone. Unfortunately, I sent the phone with my business number with her yesterday... i.e., the one that wasn't working (I thought it was the other line… stupid phones all look alike!).

When it’s all said and done, I am probably looking at 4+ hours of purchasing through using these new phones. I’d better pick up my pace and get some efficiencies quickly!

Wait... It get's more ironic! I am having a great conversation Wednesday morning with a Business Development Manager from non-other than Staples. After hearing my saga, she looks at me and says "Too bad they didn't have an "easy' button for you!" Yeah... too bad.

If you'd like to see how Verizon can implement an "easy" button and get on the Pathos "Customer Advocacy" train (The "One Call Resolution" train might go too fast for them!), send me an email (sp@pathosleadershipgroup.com) and I'll send you a link so you can view this "virtual" training-on-demand.

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP